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MOD Boscombe Down
=MOD Boscombe Down= ---- Overview New personnel with familiarity with the British Armed forces might be surprised that such a visible facility such as MOD Boscombe Down serves such a vital and integral role within the structure of Homeworld Security. The facilities here have served as Britain's primary aircraft development and evaluation site since 1939. In truth this makes the facility ideal for the development of the United Kingdoms space fleet, local civilians are used to the sound of unusual engines taking off at night, and oddly shaped craft being evaluated and launched from the airfield. Since 2007 Homeworld Security has undertaken a massive expansion to the north-east of existing airfield and facilities at Boscombe Down to facilitate the construction of construction facilities for Fleet craft, additional hangers, additional runways as well as housing for additional technical staff and other personnel. With this expansion Homeworld Security has made use of compulsory purchase in order to acquire allot of the land immediately around the newly expanded areas in order to secure greater secrecy for Fleet Operations. This has involved extensive re-routing of the A303 and A338 roads to the north-east. Airbase General Layout and Features The majority of existing test facilities as well as the Empire Pilots Flight School and the RAF's regular test squadrons remain in the south-eastern area of Boscombe Down. The University Air Squadrons and Air Experience flights however have been relocated outside of the facility in order to reduce the workload of Homeworld Security's security division in performing background checks of personnel permitted onto the airbase. The Fleet Operations section of the airbase extends out to the north-east of existing facilities this section of the base is fenced off from the existing testing facilities so that staff do not cross into the Fleet Operations base. In terms of base layout the Fleet Operations facility is separated from the existing MOD/QinetiQ testing facilities to preserve the privacy of Fleet Operations. Publically the Fleet Operations section is identified as the bases 'classified test site' for the benefit of the MOD explaining the expansion of the airbase. The Fleet Operations section of Boscombe Down consists of a number of surface buildings such as hangars, accommodation and a new control tower as well as a number of underground facilities. With the expansion has come the construction of two new runways for launching the aircraft stationed as part of the Fleet Operations contingent at Boscombe. This guide does not detail the pre-existing facilities at MOD Boscombe Down, but instead details the facilities constructed for Fleet Operations. ---- Surface Hangars and Pilot Accommodation With the construction of new runways for Fleet Operations came the development of new fighter craft capable of exoatmospheric flight for the interception of orbital and atmospheric threats. These fighters are stationed out of Fleet Operations' main hangars with immediate access to the Fleet Operations runways. At any one time Boscombe Down is home to one of two RAF squadrons piloting the advanced XAF-1 exoatmospheric 'Phobos' fighters. Fighters are stored by flight, with the Phobos into three flights the stationed squadron is stationed in Hangars One, Three and Four. In addition to the RAF Phobos Squadrons Boscombe is home to several squadrons of United States Air Force personnel, these pilots operate the American-produced F-302 exoatmospheric Fighter-Interceptor and their flights are stationed in Hangars Five through to Ten. Hangar 4 is currently designated for use by the XAT-1 Deimos exoatmospheric transports, the majority of these are utilized for resupplying and transporting personnel to vessels in orbit. Pilot accommodation is a large surface building close to the fighter and transport hangars allowing for rapid scrambling of pilots to stationed aircraft at a moments notice. There is a large mess shared between the RAF and USAF pilots stationed on-base at Boscombe Down, traditionally the CAG of Fleet Operations is the head of the mess, or an appointed representative when they are off-world. ---- Underground Hangar/Dry-Docks As Homeworld Security currently lacks orbital repair and construction facilities for the larger vessels operated by Fleet Operations, Boscombe Down also serves as the primary construction site for Britain's larger space vessels. Serving as a ground-based dry-docks these facilities are situated beneath the surface of the Fleet Operations airfield. These hangars are accessed via elevator from the surface of the facility and share space with several other underground test and research labs for Fleet Operations. In part it was the construction of these dry-docks that necessitated the expansion of the Boscombe Down facility, spanning several hundred meters in all dimensions each is capable of holding a fleet vessel with greater mass than the United States' Nimitz-class Supercarriers. Serving as both a dry-dock for carrying out major repairs to Fleet Vessels as well as a construction dock. ---- Back to SEF Guide Category:General Information